Band saws are commonly used to cut carcasses and meat sections in the red meat industry as part of the meat processing stage. When using a band saw, the operator generally physically holds the carcass or meat section either side of the band saw blade and drives the meat into the blade to effect the cutting operation. This inherently places the operator at risk of contacting the blade in the event of slipping or, for example, as a result of inattention.
While guards can be used to cover the blade, a region of the blade remains exposed to the operator. For larger cuts of meat and carcasses, a significant section of the blade must remain exposed. Contact with the blade can result in serious injury including loss of digits and worse. Once an operator recognizes they have come into contact with the blade and takes corrective action, there is nevertheless a time delay involved in which significant injury can be sustained from the blade. Similarly, even if an emergency stop button is activated, the blade of the saw may continue to move before being brought to a stop.
Injuries to operators can be debilitating for the operator, distressing to all involved, and costly to employers in terms of downtime, loss of productivity and associated rehabilitation of the employee.